Describe Jangle Pop here. Well... it's the kind of music R.E.M. and The Smiths play, basically. Though there's a bit more to it than that...

Jangle Pop is a genre of Alternative Rock that first appeared at the tail end of The '70s/the beginning of The '80s. It's characterized by jangly guitars (often, though not always, 12-stringed), simple melodies and often enigmatic lyrics (and sometimes Indecipherable Lyrics as well). The sound can be bright and upbeat, moody and mysterious or downright trippy at times, but the aforementioned elements are pretty much always present.

Many of the early bands hailed from either the American west coast (particularly L.A.) or the upper South (with Athens, Georgia being a particular hotbed). The west coast scene was often referred to as the Paisley Underground (due to its heavy Psychedelic Rock influence and the obvious Velvet Underground connection) and was typified by bands like The Bangles, Dream Syndicate and Rain Parade; the Southern scene was rootsier (often influenced by Country Music) and included bands like R.E.M., The dB's, Pylon, and The Connells. In addition, other bands formed all around the country, with key examples being 10,000 Maniacs, The Replacements, Throwing Muses and Camper Van Beethoven. Scenes also existed in Australia (The Church, Hoodoo Gurus, The Go Betweens) and New Zealand (The Chills, The Bats, The Clean), and in England, The Smiths became massively popular and spawned many soundalike bands, effectively changing the sound of British Alternative Rock and influencing many later generations of British bands.

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